Aneke rejoins Crewe on initial six-month loan

Picture: Empics

Arsenal midfielder Chuks Aneke has rejoined League One side Crewe Alexandra on an initial six month loan deal, and could feature in their opening game of the new season against Rotherham United tomorrow.

The 20 year old spent the vast majority of last season at The Alexandra Stadium and enjoyed an impressive campaign during two separate spells at the club, featuring 38 times in total, scoring eight goals and providing seven assists having failed to catch the eye during stints with Stevenage and Preston North End in the same division during the previous campaign.

It is believed that Crewe are perfectly suited to the way in which Aneke and Arsenal prefer to play, given their penchant for free-flowing, possession-based football, but, despite his success out on loan, the former England U19 international has struggled to make an impact on the senior set-up at Emirates Stadium.

Aneke has just one competitive appearance for the first-team to his name, which came as a very late substitute against Shrewsbury Town in the Carling Cup two years ago, but, although he has travelled on the last two pre-season tours of Asia, he has often been forced to play out of position and spent the majority of the recent tour operating as a centre-back.

Aneke, who featured as Arsenal’s U21s drew 4-4 against Leyton Orient in midweek, won the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy with Crewe last season and will be hopeful that his latest loan spell is just as successful.

Thanks for the update Jeorge. But you left the million dollar question unanswered. Does the absence of suitors from championship / Premier league clubs mean that his chances of making it here are very slim?

Would really love to hear from you on this as it would be a tragedy if both Aneke and Afobe fail to make the grade at Arsenal..

Agree with you. Disappointed its not a championship club. Considering its league 1 regular appearances won’t really help his cause neither will ‘good’ performances. Taking into account his age and the fact that the purpose is to determine whether he can make it into arsenal he will basically have to be one of the most prolific players in the league. I’ve doubted him in the past tbh and still feel its unlikely but hearing of his progress I feel he certainly deserved more of a chance in his favoured am position in preseason in order to appeal to certain championship clubs. I realise its unlikely to be a big factor in deciding whether to take him in on loan but seeing less experienced players play ahead of him in midfield may deter clubs from considering him though I understand the logic behind improving his defensive nous.

Seems he gets more love there than he does here ? Fact is hes played more for them than he has for us and they probably know his strenghts and weaknesses more than we do. I fear he will leave and get into the Prem as his quality will become clear to other managers once hes playing on a regular basis.

I hope chuks takes crewe into the championship, outside of the top two divisions I cannot think of any place better for a young player to develop. I just wish we could take this a step further and have some kind of technical relationship with crewe. Plenty of our players would prosper at crewe and vice versa. Hell let’s loan them bendtner chamakh and park to help them up, if we are going to pay their wages theyay as well be doing something useful.